Construction RESEARCH ARTICLE

Economics and
Building
The Socio-Economics of Women Inclusion in
Green Construction
Vol. 17, No. 1
March 2017 Adedeji Olushola Afolabi1, Patience Fikiemo Tunji-Olayeni1,
Opeyemi Olanrewaju Oyeyipo2, Rapheal Abiodun Ojelabi2
Covenant University, Nigeria
1 

Bells University of Technology, Nigeria

2 

Corresponding author: Adedeji Olushola Afolabi, Covenant University, Nigeria. KM. 10 Idiroko Road,
Canaan Land, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria. adedeji.afolabi@covenantuniversity.edu.ng

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5130/AJCEB.v17i1.5344
© 2017 by the author(s). This
is an Open Access article
Article History: Received 11/01/2017; Revised 22/02/2017; Accepted 26/02/2017;
distributed under the terms Published 31/03/2017
of the Creative Commons
Attribution 4.0 International
(CC BY 4.0) License (https://
creativecommons.org/ Abstract
licenses/by/4.0/), allowing
third parties to copy and The female population represents one of the greatest untapped resources for economic
redistribute the material in growth and revitalization in most sectors. The purpose of the study was to examine the
any medium or format and to socio-economics of women’s inclusion in green construction. The study utilized the
remix, transform, and build
use of questionnaires which were distributed to female professionals in the Nigerian
upon the material for any
purpose, even commercially,
construction industry. A total of 120 female construction professionals were used for this
provided the original work is study. The data gathered was analysed using SPSS v17.0 with tests such as Frequencies,
properly cited and states its Percentages, Mean Score, ANOVA, and Factor Analysis. The result revealed a low level of
license. participation by women in green construction. Women in construction exhibited moderate
participation in Solar panel manufacturing, installation, and maintenance and in the
Citation: Afolabi, A.O.,
enforcement of environmentally friendly practices on-site. The study revealed that the
Tunji-Olayeni, P.F., Oyeyipo,
O.O. & Ojelabi, R.A. The stressful nature of works, low interest from women, low career growth/progression and
Socio-Economics of low investments in green works are significant barriers affecting women’s inclusion in
Women Inclusion in Green green construction. In conclusion, the study identified three (3) socio-economic benefits
Construction. Construction of women’s inclusion in green construction. These are family/women related benefits,
Economics and Building,
environment related benefits, and green energy market related benefits. The study
17:1, 70-89. http://dx.doi.
org/10.5130/AJCEB.v17i1.5344
suggested measures to increase women’s participation in green construction.

ISSN 2204-9029 | Published by Keywords

UTS ePRESS | ajceb.epress.
lib.uts.edu.au Climate Change, Economics, Gender, Green Construction, Women Inclusion

70 DECLARATION OF CONFLICTING INTEREST The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with
respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. FUNDING The author(s) received no
financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
 Afolabi, Tunji-Olayeni, Oyeyipo & Ojelabi

Introduction
The OECD (2009) report projected a 70% increment in the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
resulting in increased world temperature if the activities of the world continue unabated.
The increasing GHG emissions have been linked to melting ice caps in the North Pole,
record breaking temperatures, desertification, wildfires, drought, and sea level rise resulting in
unprecedented floods. Unfortunately, a large percentage of the population in least developed
and developing countries (LDDC) are usually unduly affected by these issues which often
undermines any previous or present development strategies being implemented. Apart from
children, amongst the most exposed to the risks of climate change are the female population
in these countries. Statistics revealed that women represent 60 per cent of the world’s working
poor (Koppel, 2010). Gurjao (2008) and Aja-Okorie (2013) observed that women remain
disadvantaged gender-wise in many areas of life. Anugwom (2009) noted that the gender
bias ranges from exclusion from policy making, to labour market discriminations. Proof from
the latter reveals the low participation of women in the formal sector (Fapohunda, 2012).
The rating of Nigeria as 118th in the Gender Equality Index of 2012, out of 134 countries
considered, reveals the disparity that exist in this developing country.
Errázuriz (2010) argued that women can act as change agents to any crises facing human
well-being by contributing to policies and actions that promote sustainable economic growth
and development in any sector of a nation’s economy. The National Bureau of Statistics (2014)
reported that investing in female education produces extremely high socio-economic profit.
Hibbett and Meager (2003) observed that girls now perform better than boys in education
and in getting higher qualifications. But, to what benefit, if they are not utilised.
Globally, at 40 per cent, the female population is a continuously growing economic work
force. Gurjao (2008) opined that this increase can be attributed to the deskilling of historical
male job, rising levels of educational attainment, and economic necessity. Women can fulfil
economic needs globally. The idea is that if something is economic, it makes profit. Ezegbe
and Akubue (2012) emphasized that the roles of women need to be considered, recognized,
and treasured to attain development in any human society. Ely and Thomas (2001) and Gurjao
(2008) argued that diversity engenders effectiveness, sustainable growth, and development.
Koppel (2010), further posited that when women’s roles are made more obvious, the result has
often impacted on family health and human welfare. Engaging women in matters that concern
the earth and its environment can have serious benefits. However, the construction industry,
one of the contributors to the issues of climate change, has a scanty under-representation of
women (Adeyemi et al., 2006; Powell, Dainty and Bagilhole, 2010; Bagilhole, 2014).
Problems facing earth’s ecosystem brought about the term “green”. This concept has been
applied in different areas resulting in green construction, green economy, green energy etc.
Rustico and Terzimehic (2010) argued that this field has the potential for employment
creation for now and the future. A recent industry survey indicated that the percentage of
green construction projects grew from 16 to 40 percent within the space of 3 years and is
projected to increase further to 53 percent in another 3 years (McGraw Hill Construction,
2013). The term green jobs, found in all related green activities is broadly defined as “those that
contribute appreciably to maintaining or restoring environmental quality and avoiding future
damage to the Earth’s ecosystems (UNEP/ ILO/IOE/ITUC, 2008). This study posits that this
is one area women can increase their participation in construction trades as situated in “green”
construction. Hegewisch and O’Farrell (2015) suggested that harnessing the affinity young
women have for environmental issues may be the changing factor in trying to balance the
gender inequality that presently exist in the construction industry.

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 Afolabi, Tunji-Olayeni, Oyeyipo & Ojelabi

The uniqueness of this study is that the green concept has scarcely been analysed from a
gender perspective. Major focus in the green concept has been on investment and technology
intervention. Hegewisch and O’Farrell (2015) argued that the virtual segregation of one
gender from work in any industry means that it is losing out on potential talent that may help
such sector.
The study considers a gender perspective in solving issues raised in going green in the
construction industry. Going green in the construction industry starts from design before
actual implementation. Davis (2014) opined that having women in construction design and
implementation teams can help to soften the environment, inspire innovation, challenge
the norms, and enhance collaboration. Several studies have revealed that there is great profit
derived from female inclusion in every sphere of human existence (Adeyemi et al., 2006;
Bradshaw, Martorano and Neubourg, 2013). Having this understanding, the study examines
the economics of women’s inclusion in green construction. The study intends to proffer
answers to the following pertinent research questions;

• In what ways do women participate in green construction?

• What are the barriers to women’s inclusion in green construction?
• W hat socio-economic benefits can be derived from women’s inclusion in green
construction?

Women participation in the construction industry

Even though it has been adjudged that women have potentials that are necessary for national
and global impact, Anugwom (2009) and Ezegbe and Akubue (2012) reported that women
are still been denied basic rights. In general employment rights, Kumar (2013) reported that
there exist direct or indirect discrimination against women workers. This can be found in
recruitment, selection for skilled jobs, wages, and promotions.
One such sector is the construction industry. Although, the construction industry is the
largest employer of labour (Adeyemi et al., 2006; Fagbenle and Oluwunmi, 2010; Afolabi et
al., 2016), most of its employees are men. Despite efforts through national and international
equality policies, Sang and Powell (2012) observed that the construction industry remains
one of the most male dominated sectors. Gurjao (2008), stated the construction industry is
territorial in nature, with a reluctance to accept women’s skills. This is a major barrier to entry,
development, and retention of women in this sector (Amaratunga et al. (2006). Hegewisch and
O’Farrell (2015) argued that this should be a concern for equity and economics.
Studies from highly populated countries such as Pakistan (ILO, 2011), Nigeria (Adeyemi
et al., 2006), India (Kumar, 2013) have shown that women’s participation in the construction
industry is statistically poor. In developed economies, such as the United Kingdom, the case is
no different. Mun (2014) recorded that only 11 percent of women are actively engaged in this
sector. Bagilhole (2014) states this engagement is mostly in administrative positions, or other
positions not directly involved in the construction process. Adeyemi et al. (2006) noted that
this is the only position gap in the Nigerian construction industry where the male-female ratio
is remarkably bridged at 38% to 62% for male. Powell, Dainty and Bagilhole (2010) stated that
for the construction industry to progress, there is an active need to challenge the realities of a
patriarchal construction industry.
Powell, Dainty and Bagilhole. (2010) opined that women face a multitude of challenges in
the construction industry. Myriads of these challenges are exhibited in cultural and structural

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 Afolabi, Tunji-Olayeni, Oyeyipo & Ojelabi

barriers, such as harassment and discrimination, limited networking opportunities and long
and inflexible working hours (Whittock, 2002; Dainty and Bagilhole, 2006; Lingard and
Francis, 2006). Other barriers to women’s participation in the industry include the poor image
of the industry (Afolabi et al., 2016), heavy nature of industry, weak forbearance working
in open conditions, harsh weather and foul language (Dainty, Bagilhole, and Neale, 2000;
Agapiou, 2002); emotional stress and sexual harassment (Kehinde and Okoli (2004), lack
of career knowledge (Amaratunga et al. 2006), family interferences, dearth of construction
industry mentors, coequal pressure and low educational attainment (Whittock, 2002),
vulnerable working environment (ILO, 2011).

The concept of green jobs and women participation

The construction industry contributes as much as 35 percent of the total global greenhouse
gas (GHG) emissions annually (Adeleke, 2010; Kientzel and Kok, 2011). These emissions
can be linked to the industry’s massive reliance on fossil fuel energy during the production
and transportation of building materials, construction, operation, and demolition phases. In
addition, there have been links to the use of other environmentally damaging pollutants in the
construction industry (Edem, 2011). The issues are made worse when design, construction and
use of buildings cause unconscious and careless regard for the environment.
Nelson (2010), has suggested that experts are calling for immediate and far-reaching action
to fight global warming and remedy its consequences. One of the most important tasks is
to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Edem (2011) opined that given the massive
growth and needs of the construction industry, if nothing is done, greenhouse gas emissions
from buildings will more than double in the next few years. Responding to this pressing issue,
energy efficiency and environmental assessment schemes, both mandatory and voluntary, have
been implemented as policy instruments and strategies to reduce natural resource use and to
improve energy efficiency from design to operation of buildings (Kientzel and Kok, 2011).
New technologies are constantly being developed to complement current practices in creating
greener structures. This is achieved by efficiently using energy, water and other resources and
reducing waste, pollution, and environmental degradation (Edem, 2011).
In Bruyère and Filiberto (2013), the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) broadly defined green
jobs as employment “in businesses that produce goods or provide services that benefit the
environment or conserve natural resources” or “jobs in which workers’ duties involve making
their establishment’s production processes more environmentally friendly or use fewer natural
resources”. UNDP (2016) defined green jobs as those jobs that do not harm the environment
and have potential to revive it. According to the BLS, potential green jobs include; renewable
energy sourcing (solar, wind, biofuels) including manufacturing, installation, and maintenance;
Improving energy efficiency including services like home energy audits, home renovation and
retrofitting, manufacture and provision of products like EE appliances, vehicles; Pollution
reduction/removal, recycling, greenhouse gas reduction; Natural resource conservation
including organic agriculture, sustainable forestry, storm water management; Environmental
compliance, education and training including enforcing regulations, and public awareness. The
United Nations Development Programme, UNDP (2016) noted that 50 million green jobs
will be created worldwide by the year 2036, as governments, NGOs and businesses invest in
reducing energy use, waste, protecting and restoring the damaged ecosystem.
Since women make up more than half the world’s population, UNDP (2016) opined that
women’s perspectives on going green in any sector are crucial. The absence of female gender

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 Afolabi, Tunji-Olayeni, Oyeyipo & Ojelabi

participation in the construction industry and further green construction may be detrimental
to the long-term sustainability of the industry and the world at large. Understanding the
inequities imbalance would help to access the green jobs that are on offer. UNDP (2016),
suggest with the crucial roles of women in the family and community base, women have an
understanding of how to drive sustainable solutions and help curtail dangerous and harmful
production and consumption patterns which have an adverse effect on the ecosystem. It is
therefore important that the concept of going green is cognizant of women at every level. As
investment in green jobs increases, it is important to also increase the participation of women
in these areas.
UNRISD (2012) observed that job positions in green economy are largely closed to
women. These are due to barriers identified by the Women’s Economic Security Campaign
(2010) such as a lack of training and role models in these fields, limited work supports,
sexual harassment, and hiring discrimination. Rustico and Terzimehic (2010) and ILO
(2015) added that issues regarding employability and participation, which may give women
access to green job opportunities may further be limited due to inadequate skill sets,
training, and experience.

Research method
The study built on previous research conducted on women’s participation in the construction
industry and the areas of green jobs in the construction industry. This research aims to
engender the economics by measuring the level of participation, barriers, and socio-
economic benefits to be derived from women’s inclusion in the green jobs available in the
construction industry. The population is a summation of all women in the construction
industry in Nigeria. The findings are based on a subset of women in the construction
industry in Lagos State. Lagos State is an economic hub of Nigeria and highly developed,
with a high concentration of construction professionals, high volume of state-of-the-art
completed and ongoing construction projects, and high applications in the areas of green
construction. The state has been classified as a Mega city and is presently arming itself with
necessary buildings and infrastructure to cope with its new status. The women used for
this study fall into the categories of construction professionals in the fields of architecture,
building technology, quantity surveying, mechanical, civil, and electrical engineering. Based
on the type of study, a survey research design was conducted on the identified sample. The
respondents were chosen using a purposive sampling method due to the characteristics
of the sample. This method was used due to the easy access of the respondents to the
researcher and the willingness of the study sample to participate in the study. The research
data analysis was based on a structured questionnaire directed to women construction
professionals in these six fields in the construction industry. The questionnaire is divided
into four sections; the background information of the respondents, the areas of green
construction in the construction industry, the socio-economic benefits to be derived from
women’s inclusion in green construction and the barriers to women’s inclusion in green jobs
available in green construction. The questionnaire was measured using a five point Likert
scale. A total of 180 questionnaires were distributed to women in the construction industry
in Lagos State. A total of 120 completed questionnaires were returned, representing a
66.7% return rate. These were adequately scrutinized for errors and omissions. The data
obtained was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences, SPSS v.17 software.
Statistics tests such as Frequencies, Percentages, Mean Score, ANOVA, and Factor Analysis
tests were used for the study.

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Findings and discussion

This section analyses the data for the study and discusses the implications of the research. The
headings are based on the three (3) research questions developed for the study. However, the
background information is first highlighted.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
A cross-section of the construction industry female respondents as shown in Table 1 revealed
that 52.5% of the respondents had a B.Sc./B.Tech degree, 38 (31.7%) MSc/MBA/MPM,

Table 1 Background Information

Background Information  Frequency Percent (%) Cumulative

Percent
Highest Academic Qualification
BSc/B.Tech. 63 52.5 52.5
MSc/MBA/MPM 38 31.7 84.2
OND/HND 15 12.5 96.7
Ph.D. 4 3.3 100.0

Professional Background
Civil Engineering 26 21.7 21.7
Building Technology 24 20.0 41.7
Architecture 20 16.7 58.3
Mechanical Engineering 20 16.7 75.0
Quantity Surveying 15 12.5 87.5
Electrical Engineering 15 12.5 100.0

Professional Affiliation
NSE 61 50.8 50.8
NIOB 24 20.0 70.8
NIA 20 16.7 87.5
NIQS 15 12.5 100.0

Level of Professional Affiliation

Graduate 90 75.0 75.0
Corporate 19 15.8 90.8
Associate 11 9.2 100.0

Construction Industry Experience

1-10yrs 101 84.2 84.2
11-20yrs 14 11.7 95.8
21-30yrs 5 4.2 100.0

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 Afolabi, Tunji-Olayeni, Oyeyipo & Ojelabi

15 (12.5%) OND/HND and 4 (3.3%) Ph.D. All respondents participating in the study
had formal education appropriate for their positions. An examination of the professional
background showed that 26 (21.7%) Civil Engineers, 24 (20%) Builders, 20 (16.7%)
Architects, 20 (16.7%) Mechanical Engineer, 15 (12.5%) Quantity Surveyors and 15 (12.5%)
Electrical Engineers participated in the study. The breakdown indicated a balance in the
women construction professionals that participated in the study. Furthermore, the professional
affiliation displayed 4 main professional bodies which were 61 (50.8%) Nigerian Society of
Engineers, 24 (20%) Nigerian Institute of Building, 20 (16.7%) Nigerian Institute of Architects
and 15 (12.5%) Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors. However, the level of participation in
their respective professional bodies was low. From Table 1, 90 (75%) of the women construction
professionals were still graduate members, 19 (15.8%) Corporate members and 11 (9.2%)
Associate Members. The construction industry experience of the respondents revealed that
101 (84.2%) of the respondents had 1-10yrs, 14 (11.7%) had 11-20yrs while 5 (4.2%) had
21-30yrs industry experience.

AREAS OF GREEN CONSTRUCTION PARTICIPATION

The study identified sixteen (16) crucial areas of green construction from literature and
corroborated by construction professionals. Table 2 revealed the level of participation of
women in green construction in Nigeria. Women in construction exhibited moderate
participation in Solar panel manufacturing, installation, and maintenance and in the
Enforcement of environmentally friendly practices on-site which are areas of green
construction. The manufacturing and installation of solar panels has become an area of green
construction where females are creating a niche for themselves, especially in a country with
increasing use of generators adversely affecting the atmosphere. Similarly, the enforcement
of environmentally friendly practices has seen women at the forefront, albeit still a male
dominant sector in Nigeria. However, there is relatively low participation of women in
Environmental compliance, Waste reduction, Pollution reduction, Reduction of water usage
on site and Home retrofitting. Table 2 revealed that women do not participate in most areas
of green construction. Some of the areas of green construction with no participation include
but are not limited to; Auditing of home energy use, planting of trees, flowers and grasses,
Storm water management, Wind turbines manufacturing, installation and maintenance,
Environmental protection/preservation, Production of environmentally friendly appliances
and building materials and Biofuel turbine manufacturing, installation and maintenance. It is
surprising to note that planting of trees, flowers and environmental protection/preservation
indicate no participation of females in recent times. The green construction industry is an
industry that makes use of specific skills which require experience. With women having little
or no participation in the areas of green construction surveyed, it is safe to assume that it
would be hard for women to break the male dominance syndrome of the sector.

BARRIERS TO WOMEN INCLUSION IN GREEN CONSTRUCTION

Current studies on globalization, diversification and equality have made the subject of
female inclusion a topic that is well discussed. But, apparently, as one barrier is removed
another is formed or only lip service is paid, not actualization of women’s inclusion. The
study highlighted eighteen (18) barriers to women’s inclusion in green construction evident
in the literature review. The study therefore assessed the agreement among different women
construction professionals on the level of significance of the barriers to women’s inclusion
in green construction. The respondents were women in the construction industry with

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 Afolabi, Tunji-Olayeni, Oyeyipo & Ojelabi

Table 2 Level of participation of women in areas of green construction

Areas of green construction Mean Remark

Solar panel manufacturing, installation, 2.82 Moderate participation
and maintenance
Enforcement of environmentally friendly 2.58 Moderate participation
practices on-site

Environmental compliance, education, and 2.41 Low participation

training of public

Waste reduction, reuse and recycling 2.38 Low participation

Developing of green and sustainable designs 2.00 Low participation
Pollution Reduction/ Removal 1.84 Low participation
Reduction of water usage on-site 1.79 Low participation

Insulation panels manufacturing, 1.53 Low participation

installation, and maintenance
Home retrofitting 1.52 Low participation
Auditing of home energy use 1.43 No-participation
Planting of trees, flowers, and grasses. 1.18 No-participation
Storm water management 1.09 No-participation
Wind turbines manufacturing, 1.08 No-participation
installation, and maintenance
Production of environmentally friendly 1.07 No-participation
appliances and building materials

Environmental Protection/Preservation 1.00 No-participation

Biofuel turbine manufacturing, 1.00 No-participation
installation, and maintenance

professional backgrounds in architecture, building, quantity surveying, mechanical, electrical,

and civil engineering as they relate to the construction sector. The significant difference was
evaluated with analysis of variance (ANOVA). The result was presented in Table 3. Table 3
indicated that among the eighteen (18) barriers to women’s participation in green construction,
only Stressful nature of works, Low interest from women, Low career growth/progression
and Low investments in green works are barriers affecting women’s participation in green
construction, with significant difference among the women in construction with different
professional background in the study. This is inferred from their p-value which is less than
0.05 (5% level of significance), signifying they are significant. This means that the construction
professionals agree that four barriers are significant among women in construction. This
is clearly supported by works from Dainty, Bagilhole and Neale (2000); Amaratunga et al.
(2006); Adogbo, Ibrahim and Ibrahim (2015).
The question is which career is not termed stressful? Any pursuit of a career that an
individual wants to succeed in comes with a price. Women perceive green construction as

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Table 3 Level of significance of the barriers to women inclusion in green construction

Sum of df Mean F P value Sig.

Squares Square
Male Between 1.018 5 .204 1.483 .201 NS*
dominance of Groups
green jobs
Within 15.649 114 .137
Groups
Total 16.667 119
Stressful Between 4.810 5 .962 2.330 .047 S**
nature of work Groups
Within 47.057 114 .413
Groups
Total 51.867 119
Biased Between 1.138 5 .228 1.162 .332 NS*
recruitment Groups
Within 22.329 114 .196
Groups
Total 23.467 119
Discrimination Between .835 5 .167 .878 .498 NS*
Groups
Within 21.665 114 .190
Groups
Total 22.500 119
Low level of Between 1.046 5 .209 .931 .464 NS*
green job Groups
training
Within 25.621 114 .225
Groups
Total 26.667 119
Inadequate Between .690 5 .138 .879 .497 NS*
skills sets Groups
required
Within 17.901 114 .157
Groups
Total 18.592 119
Sexual Between 1.671 5 .334 .823 .536 NS*
harassment Groups
Within 46.296 114 .406
Groups
Total 47.967 119

Table 3 continues on the next page

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 Afolabi, Tunji-Olayeni, Oyeyipo & Ojelabi

Table 3 (Continued)

Sum of df Mean F P value Sig.

Squares Square
Low interest Between 4.907 5 .981 3.237 .009 S**
from women Groups
Within 34.560 114 .303
Groups
Total 39.467 119
Position at Between 1.097 5 .219 .475 .794 NS*
work Groups
Within 52.603 114 .461
Groups
Total 53.700 119
Harsh working Between .897 5 .179 .394 .852 NS*
conditions/ Groups
environment
Within 51.903 114 .455
Groups
Total 52.800 119
Low career Between 6.429 5 1.286 2.881 .017 S**
growth/ Groups
progression
Within 50.871 114 .446
Groups
Total 57.300 119
Lack of Between 1.535 5 .307 1.266 .283 NS*
experience Groups
Within 27.632 114 .242
Groups
Total 29.167 119
Low Between 7.046 5 1.409 2.419 .040 S**
investment in Groups
green works
Within 66.421 114 .583
Groups
Total 73.467 119
Low pay in Between 1.840 5 .368 .813 .543 NS*
green jobs Groups
Within 51.626 114 .453
Groups
Total 53.467 119

Table 3 continues on the next page

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 Afolabi, Tunji-Olayeni, Oyeyipo & Ojelabi

Table 3 (Continued)

Sum of df Mean F P value Sig.

Squares Square
Cultural and Between .258 5 .052 .186 .967 NS*
traditional Groups
factors
Within 31.708 114 .278
Groups
Total 31.967 119
Reluctance to Between 1.971 5 .394 1.033 .402 NS*
accept women Groups
skills
Within 43.496 114 .382
Groups
Total 45.467 119
Limited Between 2.917 5 .583 1.393 .232 NS*
green job Groups
opportunities
Within 47.750 114 .419
Groups
Total 50.667 119
Lack of role Between 1.704 5 .341 1.415 .224 NS*
models in Groups
these fields
Within 27.462 114 .241
Groups
Total 29.167 119
NS* = Not Significant, S** = Significant

being stressful in correlation with the traditional construction industry. This assessment shows
women to have low interest in acquiring skills or further practice in the industry. When these
two are combined, it results in women believing they cannot progress the career ladder of the
construction industry. As Adeyemi et al. (2010) noted, some women construction professionals
prefer to handle the secretarial and administrative part of construction rather than the brick
and mortar.
In a male dominated world where preference is given to men, Oladunni (1999) observed
that society has labelled certain jobs exclusively for men, which has made women go for lower
paying jobs. ILO (2015) reported that women’s employment status is characterized by low
pay, lack of security and limited opportunity for social mobility. This is evident in the position
and pay gap in most private and public sector jobs dominated by men (Aja-Okorie, 2013). The
male dominant bias orientation makes women assume that the construction industry requires
brute strength to carry out all its activities (Gurjao, 2008). Powell, Dainty and Bagilhole
(2010) stated that this entrenched stereotype has labelled construction works a masculine
environment that requires only men. Hence, the tag of a very stressful industry. Anugwom
(2009) observed that this has affected women physically and psychological, seeing themselves
as inadequate and unsuitable workers, thereby leading to under-performance in the workplace.

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In addition, the male only image portrayed by the construction industry needs to be stopped.
Dainty, Bagilole and Neale, (2000) opined that women should not be asked to choose between
career and family. These choices become mandatory when women that are saddled with
childcare responsibilities must cope with rigid working hours and an inadequate work-life
balance that pervades the atmosphere of the industry.
Even though world-wide there has been an increase in the level of educational attainment
by women compared with those of men (Hibbett and Meager, 2003), in the case of industry
interest, Powell, Dainty and Bagilhole (2010) noted that women are attracted to a career based
on the characteristics associated with the career. Rustico and Terzimehic (2010) reported
that a major problem that ensures women are excluded from some industries is in the choice
of study courses. Gurjao (2008), stated the rate at which men apply for and obtain higher
education qualifications in Science, Engineering, Technology (SET) and SET-related subjects,
is higher compared to their female counterparts. Rustico and Terzimehic (2010) stated that
more women tend to flow into the social science and humanities courses and less to the
sciences, mathematics and engineering based courses which are mainly needed in the green
market jobs.

Socio-economic benefits of women inclusion in green

construction
The study examined the most significant socio-economic benefits of women’s inclusion
in green construction. Factor analysis was the statistical tool used to achieve this purpose.
Principle factor extraction analysis with Varimax rotation was performed using SPSS 17. To
assess the suitability of the data for factor analysis, the KMO measure of sampling adequacy
and Bartlett’s test of Sphericity were conducted. Cronbach’s Alpha was calculated for
reliability. Table 4 showed that the KMO measure for sampling adequacy was 0.757, which
is larger than 0.7, suggesting that the sample was acceptable for factor analysis. The Bartlett’s
test was 2390.454 and the associated significance level was p-value < 0.001, indicating that the
population correlation matrix was not an identity matrix. Both tests showed that the obtained
data supported the use of factor analysis. Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.712 suggested that the
reliability of the research instrument used was also acceptable.
Table 5 listed the eigenvalues associated with each linear component before extraction, after
extraction and after rotation.
Figure 1 presented the scree plot, which resulted in three factors, because the regression line
was divided into three components resulting in a close to straight line. After extraction, Factor
1 explains 26.476% of the total variance, while the second factor and third factor explains
15.593% and 12.149% respectively of the total variance.

Table 4 KMO and Bartlett’s test of socio-economic benefits of female inclusion

Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy 0.757

Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity:
Approx. Chi-square 2390.454
Degree of freedom 253
Significant level 0.000

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 Afolabi, Tunji-Olayeni, Oyeyipo & Ojelabi

Table 5 Component transformation matrix of the Socio-economic benefits of

Women’s Inclusion in Green construction

Initial Eigenvalues Extraction Sums of Rotation Sums of

Squared Loadings Squared Loadings

Cumulative %

Cumulative %

Cumulative %
% of Variance

% of Variance

% of Variance
Component

Total

Total

Total
1 7.883 34.273 34.273 7.883 34.273 34.273 6.090 26.476 26.476
2 2.869 12.475 46.748 2.869 12.475 46.748 3.586 15.593 42.069
3 1.718 7.470 54.218 1.718 7.470 54.218 2.794 12.149 54.218
4 1.444 6.280 60.498
5 1.405 6.110 66.607
6 1.239 5.388 71.995
7 1.050 4.565 76.560
8 0.929 4.037 80.938
9 0.854 3.715 84.313
10 0.782 3.398 87.711
11 0.638 2.775 90.485
12 0.488 2.122 92.608

13 0.402 1.749 94.356

14 0.343 1.490 95.847

15 0.227 0.989 96.835

16 0.191 0.829 97.664

17 0.142 0.619 98.283

18 0.116 0.506 98.789

19 0.087 0.380 99.169

20 0.071 0.308 99.477

21 0.057 0.247 99.724

22 0.052 0.228 99.951

23 0.011 0.049 100.000

Using exploratory factor analysis, three factors were extracted with eigenvalues greater than
1.0, which explained 54.22% of the total variance. The three-factor solution with respective
loading scores is shown in Table 6. The factor loading of 0.70 was considered to be the cut-off
point. Significantly, the research is based on the notion that no considerable development

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 Afolabi, Tunji-Olayeni, Oyeyipo & Ojelabi

Figure 1 Scree plot for Socio-economic benefits of Women Inclusion in Green

construction

Table 6 Factor loading for benefits of women’s participation in green construction

(Rotated Component Matrix)

Rotated Component Matrix 1 2 3

Improved family health 0.925
Harnessing women strength and skills 0.835

Increased participation of women in other sectors 0.735

Improved human welfare 0.713

Better waste generation and management 0.917

Reduction in production and use of pollutants 0.901
Reduction of sick building syndrome 0.899
Better air quality 0.884
Reduction of environmental pollution 0.840
Increased investment in green economy 0.803
Increased organization’s and countries’ commitment 0.728
to cut emission
Increased green energy market 0.836
Cheaper renewable energy solution 0.824
Cost effective solution 0.795

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 Afolabi, Tunji-Olayeni, Oyeyipo & Ojelabi

can be achieved without a balance in the utilization of skills and potentials possessed by both
genders. Green construction that emphasizes sustainability needs diversity to thrive. ILO
(2015) stated that without an inclusive gender participation that ensures growth, sustainability
in a green economy cannot be achieved. In addition, Ezegbe and Akubue (2012) argued that
women possess an unequal amount of potential required for national development. Koppel
(2010) stated that improving the stance of women could have a commensurate impact on
family unit and global basis for a sustainable economic development. From the study, three (3)
main categories are attributed to identified socio-economic benefits. These are family/women
related benefits, environment related benefits and the green energy market related benefits.

FACTOR 1: FAMILY/WOMEN RELATED BENEFITS

The first factor titled family/women related benefits has the largest total variance of 26.476%,
and explains the benefits associated with family and women in the inclusiveness of women
in green construction. This factor contains four (4) benefits associated with families and
women when assessing women’s inclusion in green construction. Most highlighted benefits
have relatively high factor loadings (≥ 0.70). As illustrated in Table 6, the highest two benefit
loading attributes of the first factor was “improved family health” and “harnessing women’s
strength and skill”. This means that the health of members of the family is improved when
women participate considerably in green construction. Children are the core of many homes
and women aim to meet the needs of that intricate core. Aja-Okorie (2013) observed the
significant correlation that exist between better employment of women and the family, thereby
ensuring the adequacy of children’s welfare. It has been noted for example, that putting more
income in the hands of women yields beneficial results for general human development, as
they tend to invest more in children’s nutrition, health, and education (OECD 2010; World
Bank 2010). As a strategy for combating poverty, hunger and dis­eases to achieve all other
development goals, wom­en’s fair access to green jobs that are decent will not only empower
them but also lead to greater and more sustainable social and economic growth (ILO, 2015). It
has been noted, UNDP (2016), that in crucial roles women hold in the family and community
base, they have an understanding of how to drive sustainable solutions and help curtail
dangerous and harmful production and consumption patterns which have adverse effects
on the ecosystem. Similarly, it can be inferred that strength and skills of women are directly
improved when they are actively involved in green construction with its ability to contribute to
other sectors of the economy.

FACTOR 2: ENVIRONMENT RELATED BENEFITS

The second factor is labelled environment related benefits, which is the second largest variance
of 15.593% and comprises seven attributes. The first attribute with the highest factor loading
is “better waste generation and management”. This indicated that women’s efforts can be
channelled to ensuring waste is managed properly without any harmful effect on the populace.
This could notably involve recycling of waste to produce reusable resources for the community.
The second attribute with a high factor loading is “reduction in production and use of
pollutant”. Women’s inclusion ensures concerted efforts are made to reduce the production and
use of pollutants and therefore preserve the atmosphere and subsequently the environment.
UNDP (2016) concluded that women can be engaged in the green economy approach in
terms of employment, family base pattern of consumption and socio-cooperate governance

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 Afolabi, Tunji-Olayeni, Oyeyipo & Ojelabi

of society at large. This means that women’s inclusion in green construction can engender an
environmental policing system in reducing the GHG emissions in the environment.

FACTOR 3: GREEN ENERGY MARKET RELATED BENEFIT

The third factor is labelled green energy market related benefits, which has the least variance
of 12.149% and comprises three attributes. The attributes with the respective factor loading
are “increased green energy market”, “cheaper renewable energy solution” and “cost effective
solution”. This indicated that women’s inclusion in green construction can bring about efficient
and effective green energy delivery for use in the community at large. Cost effective measures
of generating and distribution of energy are expected to be mooted and hence subsequently
achieved. The green energy market in Africa has persisted at a slow pace. OECD (2009) stated
that financing and technology support will be essential to help developing countries reduce
their GHG emissions while continuing to grow economically, and to help the most vulnerable
countries adapt to the climate change that is locked-in. ILO (2015) stated that women hold
key roles across society that influences how to produce, consume and market sustainable
solutions. WESC (2010) suggested that national and international programs that encourage
the integration of women in non-traditional roles need to be adequately funded.

Limitations of the study

The study used a questionnaire instrument which may be prone to bias and highly subjective
due to the nature of the respondents. In addition, a specific gender was selected to participate
in the study which does not reveal an equal or comparison view of gender equality on the
subject matter. The study may have been limited in the number of variables selected in the
areas of green construction participation and the barriers to women’s inclusion.

Conclusion
The study examined the economics of women’s inclusion in green construction. It indicated
a low level of participation of women in the sixteen crucial areas in green construction.
Women in construction exhibited moderate participation in Solar panel manufacturing,
installation and maintenance, and in the Enforcement of environmentally friendly
practices on-site. The study revealed that there are significant barriers affecting women’s
inclusion in green construction: the Stressful nature of construction works, Low interest
from women, Low career growth/progression and Low investments in green works. In
addition, the study identified three (3) socio-economic benefits of women’s inclusion in
green construction: Family/women related benefits (Improved family health, Harnessing
women strength and skills, Increased participation of women in other sector and Improved
human welfare), Environment related benefits (Better waste generation and management,
Reduction in production and use of pollutants, Reduction of sick building syndrome, Better
air quality, Reduction of environmental pollution, Increased investment in green economy
and Increased organization’s and countries’ commitment to cut emission) and Green energy
market related benefits (Increased green energy market, Cheaper renewable energy solution
and Cost effective solution).
The study recommended that to increase female participation in the industry, young girls
need to be adequately steered into less traditional roles in their career choice, through proper

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 Afolabi, Tunji-Olayeni, Oyeyipo & Ojelabi

guidance and awareness of different green jobs available upon graduation. Attracting women
is difficult, due to the poor image of the construction industry. There is need to increase the
awareness of women of the distinct features of green construction, in contrast to the general
construction industry.

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